Okay, I’ve given it over a month so I’m assuming most people have seen TRAINWRECK. If not, SPOILER ALERT. Come back tomorrow.
Like I said before, it’s waaaaay too long. Lots of scenes that don’t advance the story. And the audience is way ahead of you through most of the movie. When that happens, get to it already.
But there were a lot of funny moments and a few hilarious scenes, and LeBron James is now the funniest actor in Hollywood.
I love Amy Schumer. She has elevated
slut to a high comic art. Her material is sharp, her delivery is pitch-perfect, and she is currently the queen of the zeitgeist. I don’t know why anyone thinks Lena Dunham is the voice of her generation when Amy Schumer exists on the same planet.
But I had a problem with the relationship in the movie. And it may just be me. If it is, I’m sure I’ll hear from you.
My problem is this: In any romantic relationship I need to know why each person is attracted to the other. They can be opposites, come from different backgrounds, huge age difference (except in a Woody Allen movie, it's creepy already), but I need to believe there’s something each person is getting from the other that is so great they fall in love.
I totally get why Amy falls for Bill Hader’s character. Here is the first real decent guy she’s met. He goes with her to see her father, provides medical care, doesn’t play mind games, puts up with her bullshit, has a personality (isn’t just a nice slug like her brother-in-law), and apparently the sex is good. (Her big complaint was that when he went down on her he… I forget what her big complaint was, but so did she.)
On other hand, why does he fall for
her? Now step back for a moment. Forget that Amy Schumer is enjoying a massive pop culture glow and is clearly the current
flavor-of-the-month. Don’t think of Amy Schumer, think of “
Amy” the character. She pushes Hader away, doesn’t even want him breathing next to her in bed (a very funny scene), jumps down his throat when he says her loves her (not his fault it came at a funeral), refuses to say she loves him, is forever guarded, is constantly selfish, dresses inappropriately, and the one time he wanted her presence she ducked out to take a phone call. And the reality is, all the cute little quirks that are so endearing in the beginning of relationships become so fucking annoying you want to kill them after three years.
Again, this is just
my pet peeve. Lots of times I see screen romances where we’re supposed to believe the couple is in love purely because the writer
says they are. Yes, casting is 80% and chemistry is key, but so is the writer’s obligation to justify just what the attraction is and what positive tangible element each person gets from the relationship. Being the ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY comic of the year isn’t enough. At least for me.
But it’s been said that if a studio comedy has four really funny scenes then it’s a good movie. I think the bar is a little low but okay. Using that yardstick, there were at least four (and probably closer to six), so TRAINWRECK delivers the goods. But it’s not a home run. More like a double, although with Amy Schumer you can probably get to third base.